Judges Ask Whether Health Care Lawsuit Is Premature

A three-judge panel asked whether the federal Anti-Injunction Act, which generally prohibits lawsuits challenging a tax before it is collected, bars the court from deciding the case.

The question arose because the health care law requires citizens to buy health insurance or pay a penalty.

Virginia's attorney general and Liberty University, which filed separate suits challenging the health care law, and the Justice Department said in briefs filed this week that the Anti-Injunction Act does not apply in this case.

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